Nonrefillable container such as cans



Sept. 4, 1934.

'n u n F. A. TALBOT 1,972,430

NONREFILLABLE CONTAINER SUCH AS CANS Filed Sept. 5, 1930 2 Sheets-Shee t l Hemi;

Sept. 4, 1934. F, A. TALBOT NONREFILLABLE CONTAINER SUCH AS CNS S11/vento@ Patented Sept. 4, 1934 UNITED STATES NONREFILLABLE CONTAINER SUCH AS CANS Frank A. Talbot, Baltimore, Md., assigner of one-half to William Md.

B. W. Mann, Baltimore,

Application September 5, 1930, Serial No. 480,009

Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in nonrellable containers such as cans.

It is well known at the present time that unscrupulous persons, after draining a can lled 5 with a superior grade of lubricating oil, will rell the can one or more times with an inferior grade, and sell the inferior grade to a purchaser as the superior grade, and thereby reap an increased dishonest profit.

The primary purpose of the present invention is to provide simple inexpensive and durable means by which the can at the time of manufact-ure is furnished with an open passageway through which oil may be introduced into the can, the latter having means operable from the exterior of the can for rendering'a valve closable to obstruct the passageway, whereby after the can is once lled with a superior oil, that oil may be dispensed from the same,`but no oil can be 20 reintroduced into the can. Manifestly, as the can is to be used only once, the protecting means must 'be of such an inexpensive nature that it will add only slightly to the cost of manufacture of an ordinary can.

Another Objectis to provide a can discharge passageway with a valve, `and means operable from the exterior'of the can for initially holding the valve oil its seat, to allow the can to be filled, such means being retractible from obstructing 30 position, whereby the valve will automatically seat as soon as it is released.

A still further object is to furnish can protecting means of this type, comprising a spring closed valve disk, and means operable from the exterior of this can for initially obstructing the closing of the disk so that the disk, after the retracting means has been Withdrawn, will be forced to its seat by said spring. In such a construction, the spring will allow the discharge of 4D the contents of the receptacle that will cause the seating of the valve when any attempt is made to reintroduce oil into the container.

Another object is to provide can protecting means including special baffles for preventing unseating of the valve by the insertion of any implement after the valve has once been closed. With the foregoing objects outlined and with other objects in View Which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in 50 the novel features hereinafter described in detail, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional View of a portion of a can provided with the improved protecting means, in which the valve is shown as initially held in open position by a withdrawal ductile metal strip.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the valve in closed position after the strip has been withdrawn.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. 1, but showing a type of protector in Which the valve is initially held oi its seat by a' spring wire support which is soldered in initial position.

Fig. 5 is a sectional View on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

Referring first to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, 6. designates any kind of container, which is to be protected, for example, a sheet metal oil can designed to carryone or more gallons of oil.V An imperforate ring or skirt 7 has its upper edge sealed to the top of the container, as shown at 8, and from the lower edge of the skirt, an annular imperforate shelf or bottom 9 extends inwardly and terminates in a port 10 which has a valve seat at its upper end. This seat cooperates with a valve disk 11 which is initially heldrohc its seat by Va bendable metal strip 12, one end 13 of which engages the under side of the valve disk, and the other end 14 of which terminates close to the outer end of a pouring spout or elbow 15.

An imperiorate disk-shaped baille 16 is horizontally arranged in the central portion of the chamber formed by the skirt 7, and its bottom 9, and the edge of this baille is spaced from the wail 7 as shown in Fig. 3, to provide openings 17 to allow for the passage of uid past the baille.

The baille is partially fixed in position by means of arms 18 which extend upwardly from the baille and have their upper ends joined to the top of the receptacle. As these arms are spaced apart, it is obvious that they will not obstruct the ilow of the liquid.

Bow-shaped legs 19 extend from the baille and rest on the shelf 9, and in actual practice, I prefer to make the arms 18 and legs 19 integral with the baille, so that this portion of the device may be made of a single piece of sheet metal, and then if any effort is made to dislodge the baille by pressing a screw-driver or the like through the spout, the bow-shaped legs 19 will collapse, and the baille disk will simply drop downwardly and act to further obstruct the passage of fluid into the container.

While in some cases, the valve disk 11 will seat by gravity, it is preferred to force the same against the seat by a suitable coiled spring 20, which will be of such strength as not to materially obstruct the opening of the valve when the contents of the container is to be discharged through the spout.

When the can comes to the oil dealer from a can making factory, the parts will be in the position shown in Fig. 1, and at such time, the can may be readily lled with oil, for such liquid will pass inwardly through the spout 15, around the baffle 16 and through the port 10 into the can. After lling the can, the operator grasps the strip 12 and pulls the same outwardly through the spout 15 and discards the strip. Immediately the strip is withdrawn from below the Vvalve disk, the spring 20 forces said disk against its seat and closes the port 10. Then the usual screw cap is applied to the outer end of the spout.

The purchaser of the lled container may readily dispense the oil from the latter, for as long as the oil presses against the inner surface of the disk 11, the spring 2O will yield and allow the oil to be discharged. Should a dishonest dealer attempt to refill the can, he will be prevented from doing so, owing to the fact that the valve disk will remain seated during such an attempt, and the elbow 15 and baille 1G will function to prevent any instrument being introduced through the spout and into dislodging contact with the disk. Obviously, this will discourage dishonest dealers and cause them to discard such a can after its initial contents has been dispensed.

Instead of initially holding the valve disk on' its seat by means of the metal strip, other means may be used for this purpose.

shown in Figs. 4 and 5, a piece of spring wire 40 may have one of its ends permanently secured to the wall 41, as shown at 42. The medial portion .of the wire may be bent to form a loopr43, which will have a tendency to move the end 44 of the wire downwardly when the latter is released from the top 45 of the can. This end'of the Wire is initially secured to the under side of the top by means of some fusable material, such as solder,

as indicated at 46, The wire also-forms an upwardly extending loop 47 which engagesrthe under side of the valve disk 48 for holding the latter off its seat when the can is first manufactured.

When the oil dealer receives this can, the parts "will bek in the position shown in Fig. 4, and after the can is lled, the dealer, by applying the heat from a soldering iron or the like, to the top of the can, just above the end 44 of the wire, will cause the solder to fuse and release the wire, and the latter will be moved downwardly into the dotted line position shown in Fig. 4, by means of the spring loop 43. Of course, at such time, the

spring 49 will act to close the Valve disk to prevent For example, as:

secured to the container and forming a passageway through which the contents of the container may be discharged, a port in the bottom of the cup, a valve disk for closing said port, a bale of substantially the same diameter as the cup, arranged within the latter, means for holding the baille at the medial portion of the cup, a spring arranged between the baille and Valve disk for urging the latter towards its seat, and means loperable from the exterior of the container for initially propping the disk in a position above its seat.

2. A non-rellable container comprising a cup secured to the container and forming a passageway through which the contents of the container maybe discharged, a port in the bottom of the cup, a valve disk for closing said port, a baille of substantially the same diameter as the cup, arranged within the latter, means for holding the baille at the medial portion of the cup, a spring arranged between the baffle and Valve disk for urging the latter towards its seat, and means operable from the exterior of the container for initially propping the disk in a position above its seat, the means for holding the baille in position including bendable legs.

3. A non-rellable container comprising a cup secured to the containerand forming a passage-- way through which the contents of the container may be discharged, a port in the bottom Vof the cup, a valve disc loosely arranged in the cup for closing said port, a baille of substantially the same diameter as the cup, arranged within the latter immediately above said disc, legs supporting the baflie Within the cup and functioning as a cage for the valve disc, a spring arranged in the cup between the baiile and valvedisc for urging the latter towards its seat, and means releasable from the exterior of the container for initially holding the disc in a position above its seat.

4. A non-rellable container comprising a cup secured to the container and forming a passageway through which the contents of the container may be discharged, a port in the bottom of the cup, a valve disc loosely arranged in the cup for closing said port, a baille of substantially the same diameter as the cup, arranged within the latter immediately above said disc, legs supporting the baille within the cup and functioning as a cage forthe valve disc, a spring arranged in the cup between the baille and valve disc for urging the latter towards its seat, and means releasable from the exterior of the container for initially holding thedisc in a position above its seat, the last mentioned means comprising a relatively stiff strip of metal having suiicient rigidity to prop the valve disc off its seat.

5. A non-rellable container comprising a passageway extending into the container, a valve positioned within the container for closing said i from a position below the seat to a point in close proximity to the exit of said passageway to allow the strip to be withdrawn by the operator from the exterior of the container after the container is filled, so that the spring may seat the valve. FRANK A; TALBOT. 

